Surgical instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, such as scissors, forceps, needle holders and other grippers and retractors, are known. The actual tool or the tool head is arranged on a distal end of a shaft, wherein the actuation is effected by an actuation grip which is arranged at the proximal end and which is operatively coupled to the tool head by an actuation rod or a cable pull. The actuation rod can be actuated via a rotary wheel, which is coupled to a movable carriage, for example, via a movement thread. With the rotary wheel, however, only one function of the tool head can be controlled, namely the opening and closing thereof within predetermined limits.
In order to be better able to clean the surgical instrument and to be able to use an actuation grip with different tool heads, it is moreover known that the shaft can be uncoupled. For this purpose, locking means are mounted on a distal coupling portion of the actuation grip and on the movable drive carriage, which locking means can be actuated separately from each other from the outside, such that two hands are always needed to release them.